2013 NCAA Tournament: How Much Will UCLA Miss the Services of Jordan Adams?

By Paul Seaver

Kyle Terada-USA Today Sports

The rumors surrounding the UCLA Bruins and their current head coach Ben Howland are not good.

Some reports prior to the start of this year’s NCAA Tournament even indicated that Howland is in some hot water and that even a run to the Sweet 16 might not be enough to save his job. Well, any speculation like that remains to be unseen until after the conclusion of the season and for now, the Bruins are preparing for their second round match-up against No. 11 Minnesota.

After the bracket’s release, the Golden Gophers were actually the team that garnered up the most potential, as UCLA appears to be to underdog almost.

Why might that be the case? Well, freshman guard Jordan Adams is done for the season after breaking his foot in the Bruins’ quarterfinal round victory over Arizona State in the Pac-12 Tournament. Adams suffered the injury on the final play of the game and UCLA is 1-1 since that game, advancing to the championship game of the conference tournament, but falling at the hands of Oregon.

Now, UCLA does still have a pretty talented roster on paper, but the loss of Adams is critical. The freshman was second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game. That’s not something that the Bruins can just replace like that. Especially, just prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament.

So, you understand the pressure that this UCLA team faces on Friday night.